Nights at Last
by Oxymorons
Summary: Kel/Neal, Cleon/Carramea. Neal's POV. Set after Squire. PG13 for a reason.
1. Nights at Last

Written by both Chloe and Stef.  
  
A/N the King's Wild Birds are a band.  
  
No flames, svp.  
  
NB. Neither of us (Chloe and Stef) own the characters except Carramea. Kel, Cleon, Neal and any situations found in the books are owned by Tamora Pierce  
  
There's Kel, dancing wildly to the hip, hot sounds of the King's Wild Birds. She's hot. I'm hot under the collar. I think I'll have some of this amber liquid. Mmmm. It's good. I'll have some more. Mmm.Really tart and sweet. Just like Kel, only Kel doesn't pack a punch like this. Mmmmm. Tingly. I'll have just another glass.  
  
No.wait a sec.that wouldn't be a good idea. If I have anymore, I might get drunk again- horrible thought. I might even behave worse than I did last time.  
  
Wow, Kel's hot, I was thinking. Nice in that pale blue. Ohmigosh, she's off with Kennan again. I bet they're going to swap saliva. I sighed and took a glass of something. Something rich and creamy, pale cream, frothy, gliding down my throat like a swan's wing through water and sizzling in my stomach like a formula from Numair's tower. Or my sisters' cooking. And just then, a gorgeous redhead was coming up to me. She was dressed in a low cut green dress, and her eyes were fixed on me.  
  
"Nealan of Queenscove? I'm Tallia of Horse Mountains. Do you remember me?"  
  
I drank some more of the liquid. Apricotty taste, mixed with pure hazelnut.  
  
"Sure," I said, though if I had I had forgotten, "Do you wanna dance?" I took another swig  
  
Later, somehow we ended snogging in some bedroom, me holding a bottle of that nice creamy stuff. Every time I drank I felt powerful. We had been kissing for five minutes when the door opened.  
  
"Nealan!" cried mother.  
  
Somehow in my drunken state I had forgotten that the closest room to the ballroom was my parents'.  
  
Tallia's gloves and boots were tossed on the floor, and I was, to my surprise, dressed only in my loincloth.I ran out of the room screaming. The hall was crowded with people, and I grabbed a sword, swinging it, well, badly. Just then, I sliced through some woman's top. Uh-oh, was my last thought before passing out, or being knocked out by her husband, I don't remember.  
  
I shuddered at the memory. Thank the gods Kel hadn't been there. She'd probably been off with Cleon somewhere. another nasty thought. Maybe I'd better follow Lord Raoul's example, and stop drinking. Hey, Kel's dancing again. But she doesn't have a partner! What happened to Cleon? Oh wait, that's right, he's off on a border patrol. He said something about coming back next week. Well, Kel seems to be happy enough dancing. Maybe I should ask her to dance.  
  
Yeah right. Maybe it would help if I had practiced in front of a mirror. Goddess.um. I've not had much practice in praying to the Goddess. Oh, well, here goes nothing. Goddess give me courage.  
  
"Hack. Huh. Hum," oh great. An attack of phlegm. A great way to win a girl's heart. 'Hi, Kel."  
  
"Hi, Neal!"  
  
"You like this music?"  
  
"Yeah. Wanna dance?"  
  
What! Kel's asking me to dance. I'm supposed to ask her to dance. Oh, well. Girls aren't supposed to be knights, either.  
  
"Oh, yes, definitely. I'd love to, really, I'd love to!" Oh great. Now I sound like.like.  
  
"Loosen up, Neal!" She's laughing and spinning. "I love this song!"  
  
I listen.  
  
"I'll search through the lands, for a fair maiden's hands."  
  
"Hands?"  
  
"Of course, Neal. It's a song about a cursed knight who had to chop off a woman's hands because she betrayed him."  
  
"You like it?"  
  
She shrugs, moving her shoulders with a slender, well oiled grace.  
  
"Cleon wrote it, or something. But I really hate it. It's so."  
  
"Patriarchal?"  
  
"I wonder why I gave up on you."  
  
What? What does that mean? Well, only one way to find out.  
  
"Why'd you give up on me?" To my surprise, Kel actually blushed. Well, she's sure changed! It used to be that she only ever showed really, really strong emotions. Oh well.  
  
"Doesn't matter." Kel replied  
  
"Whatever. So, how're you doing without Cleon?" As soon as I said it I knew it was a mistake. Kel looked down and didn't say anything. Great, now I feel bad, and have to comfort her!  
  
"I'm sorry. He'll be back soon." I patted her arm awkwardly.  
  
She sighs again. I feel my brain waxing lyrical.  
  
"I'm okay without him," she looks at me, her eyes twinkling, but not, I think, with joy, "I'm feeling fine without him. That's the problem."  
  
"Your mind works in mysterious ways."  
  
"I mean," her eyes search my face desperately, "Weren't you broken up when Yuki married that Yamani?"  
  
Ouch. "Yes, I was. For a while. For a while."  
  
"For a while, was the sun blotted out of your life? Was the sky grey forever? Did flowers wither? Did songs sound flat? Was the world as empty as."  
  
"Yes, Kel. For a while. For a while."  
  
"Well, why don't I feel that? I don't feel it, Neal. It seems like I could face his death and colours would feel dim, not dead. Not like if I lost you or." she clears her throat, "Shinko or Roald or Raoul or anyone.Neal.oh Neal."  
  
"Shh. You don't have to tell me."  
  
"Yes I do. Neal.I don't think I love Cleon!" I swallowed. That was good, from a selfish point of view, but. Cleon had talked to me. He'd raved on and on about Kel, and I had had to sit and listen to him. I didn't like it, and it made me feel miserable, but I did it because he was my friend, and I didn't tell him of my own feelings for Kel. Coming back, to find Kel didn't love him would break his heart. Finding Kel liked me. But wait a second. Kel hasn't actually said she likes me yet. Huh, oops, I completely missed what Kel said.  
  
".what about you?" Uh-oh. Now I'm in for it.  
  
"Um. Yes. No. Kel."  
  
"You weren't listening."  
  
"I was thinking.about."  
  
"I understand. It's-hard-to let go."  
  
"I've let go, Kel. I let go of Yuki a long time ago."  
  
"I know. It's still hard, though. As I was saying, I'm tired and hot, I want a drink, what about you?"  
  
"Yeah, sure. Kel, let's go to the balcony and talk. I need to tell you something."  
  
"Yeah, sure." She takes a glass of wine. I take water. I need to be safe.  
  
We sit on the balcony. It's the perfect night. The moon is full. The drapes leading from the ballroom are secured shut and are flapping against the heavy door, so no one can hear us. There's a rambling rose twisting around the pillars, and the sofa is small enough so that Kel's arms touch mine. Perfect ambience to tell the girl you love that her-lover? No, that can't be right. Well, to tell her that her ex-love is pining away from her. Try telling her that while pink roses are sweetly scented and the air is silver. Oh, besides, the moon? It's lover's moon. Or rose moon. Or honey moon.  
  
"Kel," I begin.and stop. How can I say it? One of my hands is fiddling with the hem of my tunic, the other is stretched along the back of the couch, with a death-grip on the cushion on Kel's half of the sofa. Kel leans back on the cushion, against my arm.  
  
"Hmm?" Oh Goddess, what can I say? If I tell her about Cleon, all of my chances at romance will be zero. But it I don't, Cleon will come back and. But what if Cleon is also out of love with Kel? Maybe he met some girl on his border patrol? Or maybe even the Shinkokami's other handmaiden, what's her name again? Well, whatever it is, she was making eyes at Cleon. That's probably just wishful thinking. Or maybe not.  
  
"Kel-Cleon-loves-you-but-so-do-I-and-Cleon-is-my-friend-but-you."  
  
She leans forward, cupping my face in her callused palms.  
  
"And now you're torn."  
  
Goddess. "Yes, Kel."  
  
"And Cleon is your friend and I am..?"  
  
"My." dare I say it, "My.destiny..?"  
  
She's still not let go of my face.  
  
" 'There is always a turning point in a man's life, where he must choose between what is right, what is easy, and what is his destiny.' "  
  
"Are you quoting?"  
  
"Of course. Out of one of your books on philosophy."  
  
"So, was there a solution?"  
  
"That is up to the man."  
  
"Or woman."  
  
"Or woman. Now listen to me. It is right for me to go to Cleon, and it is easy for me to go to your cousin-"  
  
"Domitan? Domitan? Gods, he'll be pleased."  
  
"But I'm not going for either. I'll wait for my destiny. And I will fulfill it if you fulfill yours."  
  
Gods.  
  
"So, Neal, what is easy for you, and what is right for you? I know your destiny."  
  
Now I'm stuck. This is crazy! No, it's not. In saying my thoughts I'll be able to get them off my chest. No matter how hard it is, it's the right thing to do. I think. I hope. Well, here goes.  
  
"It would be right if I left you alone until you had straightened things out with Cleon. It would be easy to forget about Cleon, and follow my heart. My destiny. my destiny is still coming. I hope I'll decide my destiny tonight. With your help." Now I stopped.  
  
Kel's hands had moved from my face, and they're twisting in her lap. She staring at her hands, but somehow, I know she's listening intently to everything I'm saying. I feel like running and hiding under my bed when I did when I was three, and an uncomfortable situation same up. But I'm much older now. I can handle this. Maybe. No, think positive. I will handle this!  
  
She looks at me.  
  
"You're very honourable, Nealan."  
  
Nealan. OUCH.  
  
"Don't call me that, Keladry."  
  
"I'm sorry, Neal." Her eyes meet mine. For one moment, I know something that I've hidden.  
  
"Kel, listen to me now," I take her hands, "I love you."  
  
" 'Words as simple as three syllables, and yet they invoke a meaning beyond time.' " she quotes  
  
"But I will wait. When Cleon comes back, you might realise why you loved him. I'm not going to betray either of you. If you love him, I'll leave. If you don't, I'll be here."  
  
Her voice is smoky when she replies,  
  
"You are honourable. And you will not have to wait for long."  
  
"When Cleon returns."  
  
"He will return soon. I promise. He will return soon."  
  
I trust Kel. I have to trust her. Trust her to fill her destiny and mine.to follow her heart. Kel. Her betrayal would be terrible, but she has never betrayed me before.  
  
"I trust you." She smiled sort of sadly. Then, she leans over and kisses me on the cheek. Kel stands up, and walks back into the ballroom. I just sit there.  
  
Kel kissed me. Kel loves me. Kel doesn't want to be honourable, but she will be. She always is. She's always doing the right thing, even when it hurts her. She always so patient and calm and nice and fair and kind and sensible and, well, everything about her is right, somehow. Right for me. I don't want to dance anymore, and I don't want to stay at the ball. I left the balcony, and went back to my room. I wanted to lie on my bed and just think, but I fell asleep almost immediately.  
  
When I wake, it's from a strange dream. I try to remember it, but I only see bits and pieces-Kel on the balcony, Cleon holding a sword, a metal creature, blood on the ground. When I try to connect them, the dream slips even further away from me.  
  
At breakfast, I don't eat, a fact which does not escape anyone-anyone, that is, except Kel. She is not eating either. Orange juice, water, toast, eggs, strips of bacon. It all seems too tangible and lumpy. Was last night real? Prosper raises a slender eyebrow and drags everyone off to have a look at his horse, his sword, anything to give us a moment alone. When they all leave, I look at Kel. She looks at me and gives me a letter.  
  
"You can read it," she says huskily, "It only means that he loves me, but- just read it."  
  
Dear Kel, I read,  
  
Dewdrop, I miss you every moment of the day. The ice here is treacherous, but my love for you is not. I'm coming home, sweet pea, and I am counting the days. Rose, I've spoken to my mother. I don't have to marry Celine of Derrima. I mean, she doesn't want to break it off, but Mindelan's connections to the King, I reminded her, were as good as twenty Derrimas. Gods, Kel, I'm delighted. Rose, dewdrop, snow blossom, I cannot wait for the day I hold you in my arms.  
  
I lean back in my chair, ignoring the rest, which asks for palace news. Kel was right. Cleon was coming soon. Suddenly my dream came back to me. I flung the letter at Kel while leaping to my feet.  
  
"Neal?"  
  
I ignored her and ran to my room. As I sink into the bed, I slowly go through the dream again, piece by piece.  
  
Cleon was walking up to me on the balcony. I was with Kel, and she was crying. I didn't know why she was crying, but I was hugging her and stroking her hair.  
  
"Don't cry, Kel. It'll be okay. Everything will work out all right in the end." But she just kept crying. Cleon had a sword in his belt. His eyes were wild.  
  
"Kel, what's wrong? What's upsetting you? What happened? Are you okay?" His clothes were rumpled, they smelled of horses. "Don't you want to get married yet? It's okay, I'm willing to wait for as long as you like. Oh Kel, what's the matter?" Kel just kept crying. Cleon gave me a dirty look. I realised that he thought that I'd made her cry, and at the same time that it should be Cleon comforting her. But I couldn't get out of Kel's grip, and she kept on crying. And then Cleon lets out a horrible cry, a cry that terrifies me. I look up at him, and his face is deathly pale. He is staring out over the palace lawns. And the thing that is coming towards it. "Gods, Goddesses, help me, help us all." I whisper over and over again. It's heading towards us. I know, with a terrifying certainty who it's heading for. Kel. Cleon shoots a look at me, combining hatred, confusion, fear, despair, and anger.  
  
The monstrous thing is relentlessly approaching, and I can't do anything because Kel still has me in a death-grip. The thing is huge, as high as the palace ballroom ceiling, and is made of metal. It is crawling forward on four legs, with metal spikes sticking out of them. They glisten, and I know they're coated in poison. It has huge jaws, sharp ad jagged, and also glistening in the moonlight.  
  
Cleon lurches forward, but the creature knocks him aside. He is still conscious, and a pink rose is in his hand. A thorn is cutting his hand, even though pink roses don't have thorns. The creature advances towards us. I push Kel away from me, pull my sword out of my belt and wait. The creature ignores me even as I hack it's leg. It lifts Kel and flings her off the balcony. Then the creature disappears. Cleon is still seated in the roses, his sword next to him. I leap off the balcony and land beside Kel. Her eyes are open, glazed and staring. She reaches for me. A shudder goes through her body and I know she's dead. I look and there's blood on the ground. Suddenly a sharp thing hits my back. It's Cleon's sword. "You should have left her alone!" he screams. I can see roses, pink ones, raining down on us. They have thorns, and they scratch me and Cleon, but somehow Kel is not touched. Kel rises from the ground and kisses Cleon. When she reaches out to hug me, she dies again.  
  
I know what this means. It means if I dare to love Kel she will die. No that's impossible. That's ridiculous. If I told Kel, she would be the first one to tell me that. But I can't shake off the creepy feeling the dream has left on me. It is a warning, but about what, I'm not quite sure. Something's going to happen soon, involving Kel, Cleon, and me. And I fear that when we come out of it, things will be very different. Our lives will be changed forever. My best friend would be the first to tell me that it's romantic nonsense, but my feelings towards the same person make me feel otherwise. The Gods gave me that dream for a reason. The only question is, why? Well, I'll find out soon. There's no sense worrying.  
  
Well, there may be no sense I worrying, but I can't help it. Kel may be able to do that (it's one of the traits I admire in her), but I can't. I'll worry myself sick. I should go and talk to someone, take my mind off it. Maybe Daine could help. She visited the realms of the gods, she might understand. I stand up to leave the room, but there's a knock on my door. Oh well, I probably wouldn't have the courage to tell her anyway, because it would mean revealing my feelings for Kel. Sighing, I stand up and answer the door.  
  
It's Alanna. Her violet eyes are probing mine. I realise she has to come in.  
  
"Hello, Neal." her voice is warm, but, like her eyes, probing.  
  
"Alanna!" I realise that it's she I need to see. "Alanna!"  
  
"I never knew I was so popular with you," she says as she closes the door, "Knighthood's agreeing with you. Romantic liaisons are agreeing with you."  
  
"Kel told you!"  
  
"Yes, and I was never one for tact."  
  
"Alanna. Alanna, is it true."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"My-father-told-me-you-had-visions.Um, I had a dream, and I'm-worried."  
  
She sits, smiling.  
  
"Neal, let me tell you this. You have to interpret dreams in a way that is far more complex than vision. I've had prophetic dreams before, but I never realised how they fit into my life until the event had passed."  
  
I shrug and relate the dream anyway.  
  
"All right. Roses. Roses with thorns. What do they mean."  
  
"Roses are summer flowers, and they have thorns for protection."  
  
"For someone so romantic, you don't have much imagination on this. Fine, I'll play a word association game with you. It'll help you realise the symbols. Now, I'll say a word, and you say the first word that comes into your head. Understand?"  
  
I nod.  
  
"Roses."  
  
"Love."  
  
"Pink."  
  
"Coquetry."  
  
"Thorns."  
  
"Danger."  
  
"Sword."  
  
"Defence."  
  
"Balcony."  
  
"Kel."  
  
"Kel."  
  
"Me."  
  
Alanna sighs. "Well, it's a start. Now, about the dream. I guess you want help interpreting it."  
  
"Yes please!"  
  
"Very well, but you'll have to help. So, start from the beginning again." I told the dream again, recounting every single detail that I could remember.  
  
"Right. Well, the dream could just be that- a dream. But the fact that it was so vivid does suggest that it's more than a dream. Especially since you believe it to be so. So, let's start." Alanna had sat down on the bed during the word game, so I sit down next to her.  
  
"Okay. First of all, Kel's crying. That means something is going to happen, that affects her. Maybe even you too. Cleon being there suggests that he is involved with this."  
  
My stomach sunk about three feet. The letter! Alanna continued.  
  
"Well, the metal monster is easy enough. You heard about the battle Kel fought against the monster of metal?" When I nod Alanna continues. "So the monster symbolises an enemy, or someone who's will opposes her's. Now, Cleon is interesting. He's fighting the monster, so it's possible that he is fighting for Kel, or at least, against her enemy. The rose, however, that changes the whole aspect of things. He's fighting for love, or with love. The thorns, as you said, suggest danger. Which could mean that the love has turned dangerous, that his love has become dangerous, or that his love, with someone else is in danger."  
  
"So he might not love Kel?"  
  
She looks at me.  
  
"You're too romantic, Neal. I love my husband, yes, but I also love my children, my King, my Queen, Tortall. I love them all differently, but that doesn't mean I love them any less."  
  
"And Cleon killing me?"  
  
"He sees you as a threat and as the reason of the bad thing that might or might not happen to Kel. When Kel comes back to life."  
  
"You don't want to tell me, do you?"  
  
"No. It means that with you out of the way, Kel can live. It might mean you have to sacrifice something for her. The fact that she kisses Cleon might be more to do with your insecurities than anything else, but it could also mean that without you-you are dying-she will return to Cleon. The fact that when she hugs you she dies might mean that if you die and she returns to Cleon, the memories of you might hurt her, and it would feel like she's dying."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
I see her out, although it's a scant three metres from my bed to the door. It's a small room, but it serves its' purpose. Just as Alanna closes the door, she looks at me.  
  
"I'd tell Kel, Neal. She's upset."  
  
So I can imagine. I go out of the room and down to the mess hall. She's there. Kel stands and I hug her. Tears are on her cheeks.  
  
I tell her about the dream. She seems unaffected by it, and her comment as I finish is that my archery's rusty, better go practice. Then, I see him.  
  
"Dewdrop!" his voice comes out slow and buttery.  
  
"Cleon!"  
  
He drops the bags he's holding and runs to her. His eyes travel her face and he plucks her from the seat to kiss her-hard-on the mouth.  
  
"Dewdrop!"  
  
"Cleon. Cleon, I-"  
  
He hugs her and kisses her again, then whispers in her ear. I hear something about a haystack.  
  
Kel suggests aloud that Cleon clean up and then we 'catch up on old times'. He agrees, and Kel and I go for a walk to the stables.  
  
"What was that about a haystack?"  
  
She blushes.  
  
"Private joke." She strokes Peachblossom. I absently touch his nose, and, to my intense surprise, he doesn't bite. Hey, maybe he likes me.  
  
He snorts in my direction, and I realise I'm wrong. He's just too busy eating the apple Kel gave him to start eating me. I move my hand quickly before he finishes his apple. Still, he must be liking me better. In the old days, he would've spat out his apple and bit me regardless. He looked at me as if to say, don't count on it. I grinned despite my fears.  
  
It's a beautiful summer's day, most of my friends are at the palace, and Peachblossom's need to kill me is fading. I'm a knight, and the King has decided I'm more useful in the palace right now, as a healer and an emergency guard, which means I get to read. What's more, I don't have to see the Stump! Kel likes me, maybe she even loves me. Well, that should be sorted out soon, anyway. There's no sense brooding about it any more, what will happen will happen, and I can't do a lot to stop it. I leave Kel in the stables to wait for Cleon, and I go to practice my archery as Kel suggested.  
  
As I reach the archery range, I see Cleon entering the stables.  
  
.???.  
  
Kel saw Cleon come in. It was time to tell him the truth. How she wished she didn't have to!  
  
"Cleon," she said, "Cleon, we need to talk."  
  
"Naturally, dewdrop."  
  
How could she have ever liked that nickname? It grated. She sat on a pile of straw in an empty stable.  
  
"So you did find a haystack." Cleon kissed her swiftly. She wriggled away.  
  
"Cleon, no!" she cried, trying to laugh, "When I said we needed to talk-"  
  
"You meant actual talking. Ah."  
  
Kel inhaled through her nose. I am a lake, cool and still, nothing ripples my surface, she repeated in her mind.  
  
"Cleon, while you were away, I realised something.don't interrupt me or I'll stop. While you were away, I didn't miss you. I imagined you standing in the cold, facing metal creatures in Scanra, and I felt the love and pity of a friend, not a-a me. For want of a proper term, I mean. Then I talked to Neal about it, and it was in a flash I realised I loved him."  
  
"So what? You ended up in a haystack with him?"  
  
"NO! Cleon, no! Nothing happened, Cleon, nothing! He didn't touch me! He told me you love me, and that he couldn't betray you, and that I might just be blowing a bit hot and cold because you were away, and that if I wasn't he would wait, and I feel nothing, Cleon, nothing!"  
  
"Fine. Fine, Kel, fine. I'll go marry my heiress and you and Neal can go and, well, find a nice comfy haystack for your enjoyment."  
  
"You don't understand at all, Cleon."  
  
"No, you don't understand!" He grabbed her arm hard in a bruising grip, and did not let go as she whimpered, "I love you, Kel, and I will not marry Celine! I will not let you go and I will not let Neal have you! I'd kill him first!"  
  
He let go of her and stormed out of the stables. And then Kel remembered Neal's dream. With a heavy heart, Kel turned and began to groom Peachblossom.  
  
.???.  
  
I see Cleon leaving the stables, walking quickly. He goes faster and faster, until he is running, sprinting, towards the palace. Then he stops. Slowly, he turns and walks back, towards the archery courts, towards me. He wants to talk to me, that much is obvious. Kel must've told him. How much did she tell him? Did she tell him about my feelings towards her? And how did he take it? Well, I would soon find out.  
  
I collect my arrows, and sit down on a bench. Cleon isn't long in coming.  
  
"So." He says. And suddenly I'm nervous, even though I'm three years older than Cleon. What about my dream? Is this the beginning of it? I'm already starting to think that the beginning of the whole thing is with the letter. Is this part going to symbolise the fight? Well, I think I'm about to find out.  
  
"So, you and Kel. How nice." He grabs my arm and starts shaking me like Jump with a bone. My teeth are rattling and people are staring.  
  
"I didn't do anything!" I wail. Too defensive. I realise that as the words leave my lips.  
  
Cleon punches me. I can't do anything much back because he's still clutching my arm. I flail my free arm in his face and try to scratch it. He punches me again.  
  
"No, Cleon! Leave him alone!" Kel runs towards us, and she actually takes a swing at Cleon. She misses and strikes his knuckles, forcing him to let go. He tosses me in the dirt and scoops me up again.  
  
"You don't realise that my life is nothing without Kel!" he spits in my face.  
  
I'm thrown back in the dust, and it's only as Cleon storms away that people come forward to help. Kel kneels by me, touching my face.  
  
"You're bleeding." She draws her hand away from my nose, and it is red.  
  
She helps me up and takes me inside, supporting my-bad leg? I discover that I can't walk on one of my legs. The ankle throbs and feels open. It's probably sprained. Figures that after all that drilling in falling properly the Stump forced on us I forget when I actually do fall.  
  
She's taken me to my father's healing apartments. Oh, great. How can I explain the reason I'm bleeding, battered and bruised? Well, the old excuse is always available. I grin despite myself. Everyone I know, except maybe Roald, has told the Stump that 'I fell down,' at least once. Well, at least I have an excuse. Kel's gone off to find my father. Well, delaying it isn't going to help. I'd better see how much damage I've done to myself.  
  
I sit up, wincing. Well, my arm is very bruised where Cleon gripped me. My chest is bruised as well, that's where Cleon punched me, I guess. Well, there's nothing wrong with my fingers. I touch all of the bruises, and the throbbing ceases. Well, that's better. Now, my nose. I feel, and it isn't broken. Well, that'll stop in a minute. So, my ankle. It's not broken, I know that much. Alanna taught me to recognise breaks. So it's sprained. I reach over to evaluate the damage, but the sharp pain pulls me back. Well, I'll just wait for my father.  
  
I'd better go and talk to Cleon. Because if this happens again, I won't be helpless again. Just because I don't like fighting, and practicing the moves is not my ideal fun, I can fight. Nearly as well as Kel. Well, if Cleon starts on me again, I'll have to fight back. And the outcome won't be pretty. I decide that as soon as I'm healed, I'd better talk to Kel about Cleon. Oh good, she's coming back now. My father is following her. Kel looks worried, but as Father closes the door his worried expression fades to disapproving.  
  
"What mess have you got into now, Neal?" I laugh in spite of myself. Isn't it obvious?  
  
"I fell down, Father." Kel smiles slightly.  
  
He smiles and touches my shoulder.  
  
"You pulled a muscle," he tells me, "How did you do that while you were, ah, falling?"  
  
I don't tell him that I probably pulled it while squirming in Cleon's iron grip.  
  
"Bruises?"  
  
"Arm and chest, but I fixed them myself."  
  
He rolls up my sleeve anyway and raises his eyebrow when he sees my arm. Kel winces. There's a ring of blue and purple, and it has clear finger marks.  
  
"Knights fall in such interesting ways," he tells me, "Did you happen to fall on the Hand of Glory?"  
  
"If I did I couldn't use my Gift, could I?"  
  
"Clever," he mocks, but I see concern on his face. "By the way, Neal, I got a letter from Carra."  
  
I sit up.  
  
"Carramea? Carramea? What's it about? Is she all right?"  
  
"Of course, Neal. Here's the letter." He gives it to me.  
  
Dearest papa, mama and Neal,  
  
All goes according to plan. My horse has arrived! I would come tomorrow, but Maude is fussing. I can't wait to see you all! I will come soon. In fact, when this letter arrives I'll probably be halfway there! I love you all!  
  
Your daughter and sister, Carramea of Queenscove.  
  
"She's coming soon then!" I cry, wincing, "I can't wait!"  
  
My father heals me, and I forget about talking to Cleon. My sister, my little sister (who is, by the way, Kel's age), is far more important than a redheaded lovesick brute. Father finishes healing me.  
  
"Well, you'll live. Your injuries aren't as bad as some of the ones Kel's acquired." Kel grins apologetically at Father. "Well, you can go now. Your bruising should fade quickly enough, and your foot will heal in a couple of days." I raise my eyebrows at Father.  
  
"If I work my own magic on them, won't they heal by tomorrow?" Father nods, amused.  
  
"I cannot believe that I forgot about that. Yes, that's right. Oh, by the way, would you mind helping Carramea? She'll have to be introduced at court, and that means someone will have to take her down the Great Stair, and into the Queen's ballroom. Can one of your friends do it?"  
  
"If they can't, I will, Father. It will be great to see her again! I haven't seen her for the last eight years!"  
  
"Yes, that's right. Well, she'll be arriving tomorrow. Please don't, ah, fall down again before she arrives."  
  
"I'll try not to Father." I promised.  
  
"Well, I'll see you soon then. Hopefully not in here any time soon." And he left with that pleasant thought. I grinned at Kel.  
  
"Well, he's happy. But Carramea's coming! I haven't seen Carra for years!"  
  
"Who's Carra?" Kel asks blandly, her face blank. I laugh; the absence of emotions on Kel's face sometimes says more than emotion.  
  
"You'll just have to find out when you meet her!" I say wickedly. Kel shrugs, and with a bland face she helps me off the bed.  
  
I tell her about Carra as we wander around the palace grounds, conveniently forgetting to tell Kel she's my sister. She listens grimly and somewhat resignedly. When I finish, I add evilly,  
  
"Would you mind escorting her around a bit? Down the Great Stair, and so forth?"  
  
"Me? In a dress?" she sounds horrified.  
  
"Please? Please?" I mock beg  
  
"Oh, all right," she mutters, "I think I'll wear a kimono, though. Are you coming down the stair?"  
  
"Me? On public display? Won't I be an embarrassment to the realm?"  
  
She grins and picks up a bow. We're conveniently in the archery range. She lets seven arrows hit the centre, then snaps the string. It cuts her hand neatly, and, alas, alas, I have to hold her hand to heal it. Naturally, I innocently hold it for longer than necessary.  
  
I hear a commotion by the stables. There's several horses and a pack mule, and two women are climbing off horses. One is short and plump and stiff, the other, tall, slender and graceful, easily sliding off the horse. I run towards them when I see her hair.  
  
"Carra! Carra!" I shout. She turns to me.  
  
"Nealan!" she hugs me. She's even prettier than I remember, with black hair and the famous Queenscove eyes. Her skin has gone tan over the summer, probably due to the sun. She's very outdoorsy, my sister.  
  
"Kel, this is Carra," I drag Kel forward. Kel shakes hands stiffly, with a quick 'hello'.  
  
"Knighthood's agreeing with you then?" she slips her arm around my shoulders, "So how goes it? Full of danger and dragons and damsels with loose morals?"  
  
I laugh.  
  
"No damsels, Carra, just a knight."  
  
"Neal!" she cries, "Do mama and papa know?"  
  
"Kel is a knight," I say significantly, "You know, Keladry of Mindelan?"  
  
"Oh, the lady knight. I was going to be a knight, and then Neal reminded me confectionary is not amongst a knight's lessons. Besides, we're the only ones left."  
  
Kel blinks.  
  
"Only what ones left?"  
  
"Only Queenscoves, so my duty should be to marry. And that is what I'm here for. Oh, happy joy."  
  
"You should really meet Alanna."  
  
"So you're his sister!" Kel says suddenly  
  
"Always have been, always will be. Come on, I want to go see papa."  
  
Kel grins as Carra leads her off. "I'll get you later." Kel promises, jabbing a finger at my chest. I just grin.  
  
I decide to go and tell Father that Carra is here already. He asks me to find her and bring her to him, so, muttering about feeling like a messenger boy, I set off again to find Carra. I find her eventually. She's with Kel and, Cleon?!?! Cleon is kissing her hand with a very strange look on his face. I catch up with them.  
  
"Hey Carra, Father wants to speak to you."  
  
"Oh, right. Will you show me to the healers wing?" She seems to be talking to everyone in general, but it's Cleon who answers.  
  
"Of course I will. It's this way." He looks at me, and his tone of voice changes to regret and apology. "I'm sorry, Neal. It just hit me, and, well, I didn't think. Do you want to talk about it later?" He asks, with a meaningful look at the two girls. I nod. I'm relieved, actually.  
  
"Sure. Why don't we talk after we take Carra to Father?"  
  
"That's good." We all set off, but Kel leaves us at her rooms, saying something about having to make sure her kimono is ready for tonight. I think she's just trying to avoid being left alone with Cleon and me until we've sorted the problem out. Well, I can't blame her. Cleon and I show Carra where the healers' quarters are, and then we sit down on a bench to talk.  
  
"So, that's your sister. She's, ah, pretty."  
  
"No, she's beautiful." I correct him sternly. He flushes and agrees, muttering something about her age.  
  
"Eighteen, like Kel. Why?"  
  
"This isn't what I wanted to talk about, Neal. I'm-sorry-I-hit-you-but-I- really-did-think-I-was.Kel.it's just.Um, let me start from the beginning."  
  
"Good place as any to start." I tell him cheerily  
  
"I came home from Scanra, after spending about seven months trying not to think about Kel. I managed to convince my mother not to force me to marry Celine, and I come home and Kel tells me she doesn't love me! All I've done is think about her, and then she goes off with my friend! After I told you what I felt for her. And she doesn't even hedge around it, and maybe I'd just like her not to be honest with me for a while! And now I feel like the world's crashing in, but right after she told me, I felt like.just empty. And I couldn't let you have her. Not without a fight."  
  
"You certainly put up a good fight."  
  
"Yeah, well, I didn't mean it literally, but I happened to carry it out that way."  
  
He starts talking about my sister, and I have a vague feeling of something, but I can feel undercurrents of hate and heartbreak. Who can blame him? He really was all gone on Kel. He gets up and bows stiffly when father, mother and Carra return.  
  
"Apparently I didn't pack enough dresses." Carra says despondently.  
  
I stifle a laugh.  
  
"Can't you wear that green?" I suggest seriously, knowing that to my sister, her Entrance (capitalised and filed under the heading of Big Events) is important to her. She thinks it's her duty, and we're alike in that way. I was convinced my duty to be a knight, and here I am. Not too bad, considering. The only problem in my life is Cleon, and eventually that will be sorted out. I think that our talk helped a bit, but I'll go and talk to him a bit more later.  
  
"I always wear that dress. I know some people here, and they'll think I live in it! I need more clothes!" Carra wails.  
  
"Don't worry Carra." I say reassuringly. "Corus is home to thousands of quality tailors, and some of the best are in the palace. You'll have a dress by tonight. Here, come with me, and we'll go and get you one."  
  
Carra nods and sniffs, and we walk down to the palace tailors together. I remember Kel telling me that Lalasa moved her shop to the palace, because all the noble ladies were asking for dresses from her. Carra and I find Lalasa's shop, and it's empty. Lalasa sees us and ushers us in.  
  
"I'm sorry, you'll have to wait a minute, I have someone in the dressing room now, and my assistant has gone to get." Lalasa trails off when she realises who I am.  
  
"Oh, hi Neal! I haven't seen you for ages!" Lalasa comes forward to hug me. "And who's this?" She asks pleasantly.  
  
"This is my sister, Carramea. It's nice to see you." I reply. Lalasa has sure changed! When I first met her, she wouldn't even touch me, and now she's hugging me like an old friend. Well, I haven't seen her for a while, and she has been a lot more outgoing since she worked for Kel. Speaking of Kel , her voice rings out from behind the dressing curtain.  
  
"Lalasa! This is horrible! I might as well wear full body plate armour!" she comes out from behind the curtain and flares bright pink for a moment, then regains her Yamani calm. She's dressed in a kimono, pale brown with a rust obi, but it has Tortallan touches, like the orange ribbon on the sleeve.  
  
"Your corset." giggles Carra, "Here, let me do it."  
  
"I never wear corsets, and I will not wear one ever again!" vows Kel, storming back into the dressing room.  
  
Carra waits patiently while Lalasa takes her measurements, while I stand discreetly outside. Alone, with nothing to do, I think back on my dream. The rose changes the whole aspect of things. Suddenly I realise that Alanna never explained the colour of the rose, what it meant. Pink. Coquetry. Flirtation. Flirtation. Cleon was.NO! Oh, Gods. Cleon and Carra? Carra and Cleon? Is that what the rose meant?  
  
"Neal?" Carra smiles and twirls awkwardly in the basted dress. It's pale green, with gold lace at the hem. "Mama's lending me her pearls. Will it go all right? Am I ugly?"  
  
I smile and reassure her. I don't need to worry about my sister and Cleon- Cleon's still nursing a wounded heart, and even if there's something it probably won't go too far.  
  
Kel's coming out now. She dressed in something green as well now.  
  
"Lalasa says we have to complement each other." she laughs. The shade is darker, and there's no lace, but the hem is flounced with golden brown.  
  
No, it's not my sister I need to worry about. But what about Kel? My dream said I had to sacrifice something for her. What do I need to sacrifice? Could it be, maybe, was it. my sister? Sacrificing her to Cleon would mean that she would live either at the palace or at Cleon's lands. I wouldn't be able to see her nearly as often. But I would get Kel. Wait.  
  
The whole reason Carra came to court is to get married. I'll have to sacrifice her anyway, and isn't it better that she is happy? I know that Cleon is a good guy, and that he'd never do anything to hurt the one he loved. And if I don't try to stop Carra and Cleon, I'll get to see Carra much more often than if she marries someone who isn't my friend.  
  
Satisfied with my reasoning I smile. "You look absolutely stunning, my dears," I say, with a sweeping bow to both Kel and Carra.  
  
They both roll their eyes, Carra giggling slightly.  
  
"Well, I'm getting rid of this frippery and going riding until tonight," Carra announces, "And, yes, Neal, I will return four hours before the announcements so that mama can fuss over my hair."  
  
"At least you have hair to fuss with." retorts Kel, running her fingers lightly through her shoulder-length hair.  
  
Lalasa takes the garments and agrees that they can be stitched by tonight. Carra, Kel and I go to the stables, where Carra devotes twenty minutes to praising her horse Moonfire. Kel devotes the same care to Peachblossom and Hoshi. I stand there, feeling like a lump, when Cleon comes in, whistling. He doesn't appear to see us, and when Carra greets him he leaps up dramatically and bows. Carra doesn't seem to mind when he kisses her hand again; in fact, she giggles.  
  
"Do you want to come riding with us?" she asks  
  
Cleon agrees, and within ten minutes of riding we've drifted apart; Carra and Cleon walking behind, Kel determinedly attempting a sitting trot in front with me.  
  
"Does your sister like Cleon?"  
  
I nearly tumble off Sunbeam, my horse.  
  
"She doesn't seem to mind him kissing her hand. I don't mind if he does, or if she does."  
  
"I'm not talking about minding, Neal. I mean, technically I should, even if I don't love or like him, because I'm supposed to still feel possessive about him, but I didn't, so I thought if you said-"  
  
"Kel," I halt Sunbeam, "I never thought I'd say this to you, but you're talking too much. Just be happy for them or jealous, but don't feel obligated to be jealous."  
  
She glances back, and I see Cleon reaching forward on his horse and stroking Moonfire. I hear Carra shout,  
  
"See, she does like you!"  
  
"I'm happy for them," Kel states.  
  
"I didn't want to lose Carra," I say softly, "but I realised, she has to get married sometime. And I know that Cleon will love her, and she'll help him get over you." Kel smiles.  
  
"Sometimes, you're too romantic for your own good. But this time, I find myself agreeing with you! Come on, Carra and Cleon are so busy flirting that they won't notice we've stopped until they crash into us. Race you to the fence over there!" I roll my eyes after her, but race anyway. Kel wins. Surprise, surprise. We wait at the fence for Carra and Cleon to catch up, and chat. They finally arrive, and Cleon's looking happier than he has all day.  
  
"Carra, we'd better get you and Kel back to the palace for your formal introduction." The others nod, and we all ride back together. Cleon offers to curry Carra's horse so she has more time to get ready. Carra accepts gracefully. It seems she did learn something in the convent, after all! I look at Kel, who has heard what Cleon said, and I grin.  
  
"I would offer to do the same, but I don't think Peachblossom has got over his murderous inclinations." Kel laughs, and then she grooms Peachblossom herself. She finished quickly, leaving me alone with Cleon. I'm pretty sure he's falling fast for Carra, so I think it's safe to talk to him now.  
  
"So, how do you like my sister?" I ask him.  
  
He clears his throat.  
  
"She's beautiful," he says, "Very funny, witty.you know, nice."  
  
"Lost for words, huh?"  
  
He ducks his head and sweeps his currycomb over Moonfire.  
  
"Yeah, I am," he admits, brushing Moonfire with the rubber brush to remove loose hairs, "I really like her. Really like her, I mean."  
  
I brush Sunbeam ineptly.  
  
"I know what you mean."  
  
"I don't know why I'm over Kel like this," he snaps his fingers together, "But I am, and your sister-" he realises what he's saying and shuts up, caring for Moonfire. I sigh and leave. I might as well make myself presentable, or halfway human.  
  
When I get to my room, I toss myself on the bed. Before I know it, sleep comes over me, and I sink into Dreamland. When I wake, it's been only ten minutes, but the dream I had seems much longer. And the dream gives me hope. Hope for Cleon and Carra's future. Hope for my future with Kel.  
  
Carra was standing on the balcony, the same one Kel and I had been on only a night before. Kel and I were standing next to each other inside the ballroom, looking out of the window at Carra. She was leaning against the railing of the balcony, staring up at the stars. The Cleon moved onto the scene, and stood next to Carra, also staring up into the sky. He said something, but neither Kel nor I could hear what it was. Carra tenses, and then she turns to Cleon, and expression of joy and love on her face. She flings herself at him and hugs him. The heavy drapes close, although neither of them let go of each other. The drapes are different, although still heavy. A pattern, clear yet indiscernible, swirls within the cloth. Suddenly Kel and I are standing by a mirror. It ripples like water, and I see a young child standing there. I am unable to see whether the child is male or female, and what age the child is, but I know it must be fairly young. The mirror ripples again as several other children fill the scene. Standing in the mirror is Carra, walking down the Great Stair. Her eyes focus on a group of people; mother, father and me. Then her eyes travel to Cleon. The mirror disappears, and me and Kel are on another balcony. She is laughing when a metal creature comes to us. She pulls out her sword, but before the creature even reaches us, it disappears. Kel kisses me, and the sky starts raining roses, only they are multicoloured and thorn-less  
  
There's no need to ask Alanna what this dream means. I know it like I know my own heart. I start to get ready for the ball and Carra's introduction feeling like I could fly.  
  
I'm in the ballroom, dressed in my best shirt, tunic, and hose, and Carra and Kel should be coming down right about now. I can see Cleon waiting nervously over at the other side of the room. Just then, one of the great doors opens. Down comes Kel, with Carramea on her arm. Carra is wearing the dress that she had modelled for us earlier in Lalasa's dressing room, and Kel is wearing a kimono in the shade she had modelled for us too, except that it is very different now. The green is embroidered all over in green threads, the same as the hemming. But I'm too busy staring at her face to notice any other details about her kimono, because she is, there's no other way to describe it, absolutely gorgeous. Kel's face isn't Yamani, either, but she's smiling slightly as she leads Carra down the stairs.  
  
Kel stops at the bottom of the staircase as she isn't to be introduced. Loudly, the herald tells the room that this is Carramea of Queenscove. There is a smattering of polite applause, and then Carra walks confidently towards the King. At least, her walk looks confident, but I can tell that she is nervous. One thing that my sister is very good at is acting. She reaches the King and curtsies to him. The King bows back, and kisses her hand.  
  
In a voice that carries to the far corners of the room, he says, "Welcome, Carramea of Queenscove."  
  
Her reply is the age-old formula; "Thank you, Your Majesties." Her eyes meet theirs proudly but there is still submission in them. She rises and walks steadily to the side of Their Majesties and curtsies elegantly to the crowd, then stands demurely next to the previously announced girl. Her eyes meet mother's, father's, and mine. She smiles and bobs her head respectfully but gently to show she's not trying to detract attention from the next girl. Carra's eyes travel away from ours, and rest on Cleon. Carramea of Kennan. It has a nice ring to it. For a moment though, I'm glad she's unmarried and just my sister, Carramea of Queenscove.  
  
I look at Kel again. She's still smiling, a smile that reaches to a group of people-her parents, her brothers and sisters and her nephews and nieces. The smile extends to Cleon, to Alanna, and to me. All the escorts stand beside her, lovely and graceful, some even lovelier then Kel, perhaps. Yet none of them are as special as Kel. None of them are knights, none of them have pursued a dream. I look at all the lovely escorts; hands folded, eyes downcast, faces identical even though the features are different. Kel is like a candle in the dark compared to them, especially in the kimono, although they've become more fashionable now.  
  
It's custom for a male escort to take the girls and the staircase escorts down to the Queen's Ballroom, after which there's a banquet and dancing. I was picked to fetch my sister, but as I leave, I know what to do. Slowly, I make my way towards Cleon.  
  
"I can't stop to talk, I've got to escort Kel down." He says as I approach him.  
  
"Why don't you escort Carra?" I ask him innocently, "And I'll escort Kel for you." Cleon grins at me, and we both go to escort the pair down. Kel is so used to hiding her emotions that she doesn't even blink, and Carra's reaction is to smile at Cleon before he led her down the stairs. When everyone is at the bottom of the stairs, the dancing begins. Kel's hand is still resting on my arm.  
  
"Would you care to dance, my lady?" I said, just as Master Oakbridge had taught us throughout our page and squire years.  
  
"I would be honoured, Sir Nealan," Kel replies, equally formally, but her eyes twinkle as we begin the dance. I decide not to rebuke her for using my full name. Besides, on her lips, it doesn't sound nearly as bad as it does coming from my aunt.  
  
I swapped partners with Cleon once that evening, to see how Carra was doing, but for the rest of the night Kel and I dance together. Dimly, I realise that Cleon and Carra have danced with each other all night too, but I'm concentrating mainly on Kel.  
  
Kel doesn't seem to be feeling tired, and neither am I. Once, a young lady innocently guides her partner towards us and waves.  
  
"That's Oranie," says Kel, smiling.  
  
We go to the balcony again. The drapes and door are shut, and Kel leans over the edge. I see her stifle a giggle.  
  
"What?" I stand where she is. I have a good view of another balcony, and couple. As I look closer, I see it's Carra and Cleon. She sits down demurely and he sits next to her, treating her like a porcelain doll.  
  
I laugh.  
  
"Nothing to worry about there," I say, drawing Kel away from the edge and to the sofa  
  
"No?" her eyes are amused. I leap up again, and the couple's faces are lingering close to each other. I sit beside Kel again. My sister can get herself out of any messes if she makes them.  
  
"So."  
  
"So."  
  
We're sitting on the sofa on a moonless night, the roses are still sweetly scented and we're silent for many minutes. It's hard to believe that only last night we were sitting in exactly the same spot, at almost the same time. It seems so much longer ago, but it wasn't. All of the problems, all of the guilt about Cleon has faded, and I feel completely happy. I'm with the person I love most, and all of our problems have slipped away one by one. I want the night to last forever, but even if it doesn't, it doesn't matter. We still have the rest of our lives, and together, we can achieve any goal, and pass any obstacle. 


	2. Knighthood-Part One

Disclaimer: What IS the point in this? Fine! Don't you all think that writing this is completely pointless? Chloe's yelling at me to hurry up and write the disclaimer, so I'll write it: WE OWN NOTHING. Happy? Good. Oh no, wait…… we do own Carramea. And Yuki's husband. And the letter. And the plot. And there's nothing you can do about it. So HA.  
  
A/N Sorry about that. That was STEF so blame HER. Now that I'm allowed to have the keyboard back (sez Stef shooting another glare at Chloe), I can get on with the Author's note. Um…this chapter is a little more deserving of the rating than any of the other stories we've written, but there isn't really much apart from innuendoes in here. I don't think we'll ever be able to write an NC-17 fic, so don't worry/get your hopes up. Now we will shut up, with one last comment: R/R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Knighthood  
  
Keladry of Mindelan drew the chain over her door and sighed. Half the people  
  
she had met that morning had urged her to take on a squire. The other half had urged  
  
her to quit. There was a brisk rap on the door.  
  
"Coming!" Kel yelled. She opened her door to see Lord Nealan of Queenscove. He  
  
was still dressed in his mourning clothes; the pain of losing his father had not  
  
vanished for him, his mother or his sister, Carramea.  
  
"Neal, come in," Kel shut the door, the snap of wood on wood reminding her with  
  
pleasure that she was a knight, and free to keep her doors closed.  
  
"Hello, Kel."  
  
Kel stared at her friend. Ever since his father had caught the sweating  
  
sickness and died, Neal had often been lost for words, no longer inclined to  
  
joke or send Kel's dark moods away with a wry comment.  
  
They stood staring at each other, silent. Then Neal blinked and gave her a  
  
letter. It was open; the respective envelope had several words on them.  
  
"Kel, I'm so sorry…" whispered Neal, "I didn't want to give it to you."  
  
The envelope had written on it,  
  
'The Lord of Queenscove, Keladry of Mindelan, DO NOT SHOW THIS TO ANYBODY  
  
ELSE'.  
  
"It's so weird," Neal remarked, "I mean, why write to you?"  
  
Kel ignored him and perused the epistle. The handwriting was large and common,  
  
and the letters apart, not cursive. Yet the grammar, paper and ink were clearly  
  
first rate.  
  
'To the Lord of Queenscove and Keladry of Mindelan,  
  
Please do not show this to anyone, for if it is known that I have revealed this  
  
information, I will be dead and unable to reveal further. This letter should be  
  
burnt after being read. Perhaps sending this letter is my death-sentence, but  
  
you need to know.  I have taken every precaution possible, but I must ask you:  
  
DO NOT TRY TO TRACE ME.  Who I am, you will never know.  If I am found out, we  
  
will all die.  If you are prepared to trust me, then, Lord of Queenscove, use  
  
your Gift on the back of this letter to find out what is written there.  After  
  
you have finished reading the back, burn this immediately.  If you decide not to  
  
read it, burn it now.  That is all I have to say here.  Your life is in danger  
  
if you do not heed my warnings.'  
  
The letter doesn't have a signature, was the first thing Kel thought.  And then  
  
her panic started.  Who sent it?  Why did he/she send it?  Kel's imagination  
  
went into overload as she thought up all the possibilities.  None of them were  
  
pleasant.  She felt a touch on her arm, and looked up to see Neal's concerned  
  
eyes looking down into her own.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Fine." She said softly.  After all, it concerned him as much as her. Probably.  
  
"You sure?"  
  
Kel nodded mutely.  
  
"You want me to read the back?"  Again, Kel nodded.  Then she realised she was  
  
being silly.  It was Neal's parents that had died, Neal that was supposed to be  
  
feeling apprehensive, and yet here he was, comforting her.  
  
"Yep.  Read it."  It was probably just a joke.  Not very funny, but a joke  
  
nonetheless. Neal took the paper.  After a slight hesitation, he turned the letter over, and  
  
performed the spell.  Slowly, words appeared.  
  
'So, you have chosen to read this. I only beg of the Gods that you do not  
  
regret it. Yukimi of the Yamani Isles died on the third night of the ice rain month-'  
  
"That's last month, the last month of the year," whispered Kel, "And the person  
  
writing is a Yaman, or has at least lived there a while, and been familiar with  
  
them. You don't learn things like that from visiting once."  
  
Neal smiled dryly and continued reading. Kel looked over his shoulder.  
  
'-she died from an arrow while travelling in a litter to meet a cousin in the  
  
Storm-Sand mountains. She leaves behind three children.'  
  
"Oh Gods," whispered Kel softly, "Poor things. They'll be brought up by a nurse  
  
now. Yaman fathers don't look after their children."  
  
"Neither do Tortallan ones," Neal pointed out.  
  
'However, I must tell you this. LADY YUKIMI IS NOT DEAD! You see, if she died,  
  
her dowry would be returned to her parents, but it has NOT been! Her husband,  
  
Ruki al Umman, still has the money, pastures and animals given, as well as the  
  
silks and jewels. I don't know why, but I know it's something bad, because Yukimi's parents are  
  
very poor and would grab at the chance of any money. Their house is dusty and  
  
dirty, and they're losing face. Money is all they need.  
  
Please help. Please help. I am-I knew Yuki, very well. And I'm afraid. Her  
  
dowry is in sole possession of her husband and children-but there has to be  
  
something strange. Why else would her parents not have the money?  
  
Please come to the Yamani Isles. I will wait on the port everyday, holding an  
  
orange shukusen, for one year. I pray you come quickly.  
  
Come, come, for Yuki needs your help.'  
  
It was signed rather messily with a long, scratchy, loopy 'R'.  
  
      Kel looked up at Neal.  His face was white from where he'd been inside so  
  
long, and he was thin and gaunt.  He needs to get away from the palace, Kel  
  
thought.  
  
"Do you want to go?"  Neal looked at her searchingly before replying.  
  
"I guess it'd be better than moping around here, hey?"  He seemed to have  
  
read her thoughts.  Kel nodded in agreement.  
  
"So we'll go.  Shall we go and talk to the King now?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Should we show him the letter, or make up an excuse?"  
  
"I don't know."  After a while, Neal continued, but speaking slowly.  
  
"Maybe we should come up with another reason, a good reason to visit the Yamani  
  
Islands, but show him the letter as well.  Maybe, with the two combined, he'll  
  
let us go.  After all, it's not as if Tortall doesn't have enough knights for  
  
fighting, even with the war with Scanra."  
  
"True.  Ok, let's do it.  Any ideas for what we can do in the Yamani isles  
  
apart from search for Yuki?"  
  
He shrugged. "I don't know. We could…You have friends there, don't you?"  
  
"Ye-es…"  
  
"Well, you could say you just want to go visit them and…I'm going to keep you entertained?"  
  
"Neal!" she exclaimed, slapping him half-heartedly. He grinned  
  
"Alright…I'm going with you to-" his face became blank and innocent, "Learn firsthand about the Yamanis for a book I'm writing on Yamini philosophy."  
  
Kel snorted, but nodded at the same time  
  
"Let's tell the King!"  
  
  
  
Kel was mildly surprised when a servant immediately ushered Neal and herself into the King's private study. She had thought she would have to at least make an appointment. As she entered, the King wrote his signature with a flourish, expertly folded the paper into three, and turned in his chair to face them. Kel looked at Neal, but he nodded to her to speak to the King.  
  
"Your Majesty, may we have a few minutes of your time?" she asked formally.  
  
"Go ahead, Sir Keladry." The king replied, his voice equally as formal. Kel swallowed, and, keeping her features blank, began her narrative.  
  
"I have had a request from some friends of my family's to visit them in the Yamani Isles. Some want me to do favours for them, personal favours." Please don't ask, she thought, and she continued quickly. "I know I haven't been a knight of the realm for six months yet, but I was hoping that you'd let Neal and me go to the Isles. He wants to do some research for a book he's planning on writing. Is there a post you could give us that centres us in the Islands?"  
  
The king looked at her thoughtfully. He had seemed to have either ignored her 'personal favours' part. Maybe he knew that she didn't want to tell him. Either way, he didn't question her. Finally, he replied,  
  
"Actually, there may be a post available. We haven't had an ambassador in the Yamani Islands for some time, as most find learning the language and keeping their faces void of emotion to be difficult. There have also been complaints of ambassador's children finding it hard to live among the Yamani children."  
  
Neal's face broke into another smile. "So we can be ambassadors? Together?"  
  
"It isn't quite that simple." The king told him. Was it Kel's imagination, or was there a slight smile on the king's lips? "The Yamanis, as I'm sure Keladry knows, disapprove of a man and a woman being together without a chaperone if they aren't married. That would be very inconvenient if you are to live together. And how are you to work together if you don't live together?"  
  
"Is that the only problem?" Neal asked. When the king nodded, the almost- smile still there, Neal's face broke into a true grin. He continued, "Well, that's easy to fix! How about it, Kel?"  
  
Kel blinked.  
  
"What?"  
  
Neal grinned, bowed quickly to the King and sank to the floor. Kel leaned forward to help him up, and the King looked concerned. But Neal sat up and rearranged his legs (why did it take him so long, he cursed inwardly? He only had two!) until one leg was outstretched and one knee was bent. Kel's eyes flashed with sudden recognition and…something else. Was it horror? Never mind.  
  
"Kel…" he stuck his hand in his pocket, frowned, and pulled out a small gold ring and held it out, "I've been meaning to ask this for a while, but never got the courage to, but I just kept mother's ring with me just in case. This is the perfect opportunity, so…will you marry me?"  
  
Kel blinked again. Nervously, Neal stood, but he still held out the ring.  
  
"Yes," said Kel, and Neal had to smile at her 'well-finally' tone.  
  
"Ah," said the King, "So when…"  
  
"Today."  
  
"Today? Hasty, aren't you?" Jonathan told Kel, "Go on, tell your sister, get married. Please invite me," he slowly turned purple, and they looked concerned, but he waved their worries away and shooed them out.  
  
The minute they had closed the door, King Jonathan burst out laughing. The door opened,  
  
"We heard that," Neal reprimanded sternly, "If you must mock, please do it in private."  
  
The king just grinned disarmingly, and shooed them away again.  
  
It took the pair two minutes to decide when they would have their wedding (at sunset), where they would have their wedding (in the palace chapel), and who they would invite. Kel and Neal would both go to Lalasa to get their clothes for the evening made. Kel was pretty sure that Lalasa would abandon everything else to get the clothes done, and would have them ready in time. She set about writing the list of who to invite, and Neal went to get himself fitted for his wedding tunic, carrying an invitation for Lalasa in his pocket.  
  
The list of people invited was long. It included Kel's parents (they were still at court), brothers, and sisters, Neal's mother and sister, all of their friends among the knights and squires, Lady Alanna and her family, Sir Raoul and his wife Buriram Tourakom, their Majesties the king and queen, Numair and Veralidaine, Sir Myles of Olau, Stefan the stable hand, Gower, Salma, and pretty much all of their other acquaintances and friends. The list was long, but Kel felt sure that most of the people would be able to come.  
  
Once Kel had written the list, and Neal had come back and made a few changes, Neal set off to make all of the other necessary arrangements while Kel went to see Lalasa.  
  
As soon as Kel entered the dressmaking shop, Lalasa threw herself at her and hugged her. She was crying with happiness for her former page-mistress and friend.  
  
"Oh my lady! Kel," she corrected herself delightedly, "It's true! You and Neal…oh my lady!"  
  
"Kel," she corrected the young woman  
  
Lalasa nodded and beamed like a small, busy, satisfied bird  
  
"You never get over your first love," she remarked wistfully, measuring Kel, "You and Master Neal were meant to be…Keladry of Queenscove," she said happily  
  
Kel grinned.  
  
Neal knocked cheerfully on Cleon of Kennan's door and found his invitation before the door opened. It was opened by Neal's younger sister, Carramea, and Neal wasn't sure how to feel about that because he was glad Carra and Cleon were becoming close but…just how close were they getting?  
  
"Neal!" she hugged him, "Come in I have wonderful news!"  
  
"Let me tell you mine!" he cried out, "Here, an invitation to…"  
  
She pulled the card out of his hands and read aloud  
  
"Cleon of Kennan is cordially invited to the wedding of Sir Duke Nealan of Queenscove and Sir Lady Keladry of Mindelan. Oh, NEAL!" she cried, hugging him, "Cleon, did you hear?"  
  
Cleon looked up from his chair and nodded. He had a smear of rouge on his cheek and was grinning.  
  
"Coincidence," he said happily, "I just…"  
  
"HE ASKED ME TO MARRY HIM!" screamed Carra, right in Neal's ear  
  
Neal hugged his sister and grinned at Cleon.  
  
"Why don't you have it with us?" he suggested  
  
"What?"  
  
"We're getting married today," Neal told his sister, "As many people as we can think of are coming. Just add Cleon's parents-" he nodded to his friend, "-and some of your palace friends, and just have it tonight."  
  
Carra nodded  
  
"Cleon, what do you think?"  
  
"Darling…" he glanced quickly at Neal, blushed slightly, and continued speaking to Carra, "It wouldn't be possible. My mother has to be talked around, I've already told you that. Um, Neal, would you mind going? So I can talk to Carra properly?" Neal nodded, and left the room. As he was closing the door, he heard, "Look, my rosebud," Neal choked and stopped closing the door; "We will get married, with or without my mother's consent. But won't it be so much nicer for us if we do have her consent?" Neal remembered himself and finished closing the door softly. Cleon would do well by Carra, and Neal could trust him. Half-skipping, he went to deliver the rest of the invitations, and then to tell Kel the news.  
  
"Hey Kel! You'll never guess what happened when I delivered Cleon his invitation!" Kel had just come back from Lalasa, and she was looking flushed, and, Neal noticed, very pretty. She always looked pretty to him.  
  
"Cleon and Carra are getting married." Kel told him.  
  
"You knew!" Neal said in disbelief.  
  
"Are they really??? Oh gods! I was just joking! Are…are they?" Neal nodded happily.  
  
"Life always turns out perfectly, doesn't it! And here I was thinking that Cleon would be slightly jealous! I knew that they were close, but I didn't know just how close. Oh, how great for them!"  
  
Neal and Kel talked (well, most of the time) for a long time, before remembering that it was tradition not to see each other for a full day before the wedding. They should make it at least a full two hours. Besides, Lalasa had just arrived with the clothes. She politely (and firmly. Kel was beginning to get quite scared of her sometimes) told Neal to get out, and then she filled a bath for Kel. Kel knew that she would have an hour and a half of scrubbing, hair-styling, being made-up, and last- minute dress adjusting to put up with. Sighing deeply, she allowed Lalasa to push her in the direction of the bath. It would be worth it.  
  
Neal himself had little to do; he had a bath, changed and combed his hair (he wished Kel could check it) and went to visit Carra. She was standing in the middle of her room, dressed in emerald and gold, gauze and netting and cauls and a chain.  
  
"Kel asked me to be her maid-of-honour," she informed him, painting her mouth crimson, "Aren't you going to ask Cleon to be your best man?"  
  
"Oh, right."  
  
Cleon was delighted and agreed, and spent the next fifteen minutes trying to match his outfit with Neal's wedding clothes until Neal realised he needed to go.  
  
The Royal Palace had a small adjoining chapel, where ceremonies of the sort that Kel and Neal were about to take part in took place. It had been in the middle of cleaning when they heard the news that a wedding was to take place. The room smelled of lye and lemon soap, fresh wall hangings, oil and incense. At the altar, a priestess of the Goddess, dressed in a white dress with a red surcoat was standing, setting up the cake, rope and wine. A harpist, a flustered young woman with red hair and a lute player sat behind her. The pews were filled with rows of people, all dressed in their hastiest finery.  
  
Two doors on either side of the altar opened, and Cleon and Carra stepped out, Cleon from the right, Carra from the left. They were followed by Kel and Neal.  
  
Cleon had matched Neal's gold tunic, emerald leggings and emerald shirt to his gold page's tunic (straining at the seams), a pair of forest green leggings and shirt.  
  
Carra wore an elaborate gown of green with gold embroidered flowers and leaves on an unending vine on the skirt and a gold bodice over the top. The sleeves were green covered in gold netting, and her hair was in a caul. It was lucky, Neal decided, that she already had all the clothes. Kel, behind her, wore a chaplet of primroses, a green gown, a very simple one with a delicate gold tissue surcoat weighted with gold beads. Her hair was loose and fell to her shoulders. She looked happy, and was even wearing makeup, which Neal smiled at.  
  
They stopped before the altar, and the priestess beamed at them.  
  
"Do you consent to be wed?" she repeated the age old formula  
  
"Yes," they replied together, and smiled  
  
"Are there objections to your union?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then hold out your dominant hands."  
  
They both held out their right arms and the priestess held up the length of red rope. She tied their arms together  
  
"Where before you were two, now you are one! Do you consent to this union?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then partake of food together and be known forever more as man and wife!"  
  
Kel took the goblet of wine and Neal took the cake. Although it was ritual, Kel giggled and whispered,  
  
"Don't forget to eat your vegetables!"  
  
He laughed and broke off a piece of the cake and ate it, then passed it to her. She broke off a piece, and then sipped the wine and handed it to him. He drank from it.  
  
That was it. They were married…almost  
  
"Please sign here to signify your consent," said the priestess, "Will your witnesses sign below your names?"  
  
Kel scrawled her signature and handed the quill to Neal, who wrote, and handed it to Carra, who signed beneath Kel's name, and handed it to Cleon, who scribbled beneath Neal's name.  
  
They were married.  
  
"By the way," said Neal as the guests went to congratulate them , "Did Kel and I tell you we're going to the Yamani Isles for a few months?"  
  
Later, in Neal's rooms, Kel crept into Neal's bed with a sigh. She had taken off her wedding dress. It did make her look beautiful, but boy was it uncomfortable! Kel and Neal had decided to spend the night in his rooms, as they were larger. Neal's family was an old nobility, so he had a larger suite of rooms than Kel. They would leave for the Islands the day after tomorrow. As she would be packing all of her clothes for the Islands tomorrow anyway, all that she had brought to Neal's, no, their rooms was what she would need tonight and tomorrow.  
  
Neal joined her in a bed, unconsciously letting out a sigh just as deep as Kel's a few minutes before.  
  
"Did you see the looks on their faces?" Neal asked her, laughing softly. He hadn't changed in the three hours that they'd been married. Kel was now Sir Keladry of Queenscove!  
  
"Well, what did you expect?" She asked, moving closer to him. "First, we tell them four hours before the wedding that we're getting married, and then we tell them that we're going to the Islands for at least three months! But their faces were a picture."  
  
"You know something, my dear wife?" Kel grinned in the dark. "I'm glad that the king gave me a chance to propose. Who would have thought, less than ten hours ago, we had barely kissed a dozen times? And now we're married!"  
  
There was a long pause, Kel lying close to Neal. Then, "Kel…"  
  
"Yes, Neal?"  
  
"Are you tired?"  
  
"No, not really."  
  
"Okay." Another short pause.  
  
"Kel…"  
  
"Yes, Neal?"  
  
"Do you mind co-operating?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Would you mind moving your hands for just a moment?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"How am I supposed to get your night-dress off if your hands are around my waist?"  
  
"But this is so comfortable!"  
  
"What would you prefer?"  
  
"Good point."  
  
Little did they know, in a room a short distance away:  
  
"Carra…"  
  
"Yes Cleon?"  
  
"I think I should go now."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because my shirt's already on the floor."  
  
"And…"  
  
"I wouldn't want this to get out of hand."  
  
"Have you ever asked me what I want?"  
  
"No…"  
  
"Well, we are betrothed, aren't we?"  
  
There was silence for a while. Then, "Carra?"  
  
"Yes, Cleon?"  
  
Another short silence. Then, in a slightly embarrassed voice, "You do…uh… do you have a charm?"  
  
"Oh Cleon! Come here."  
  
********************** 


	3. Nightgowns and Nymphs Part I

**A/N  Okay, Stef speaking.  This has been written for quite a while… in fact, since before I moved.  We're in the midst of finishing part two, but… Okay, we're about a third of the way through 'Nightgowns and Nymphs,' and Chloë has it, so I don't know quite when she'll finish her part.  Hopefully soon, so I can write some, and… it'll get finished.  That could take any time from a month to six, so be patient.  In the meantime, we're posting this and actively writing a second chapter of 'Warped.'  Hope you like it, hope you haven't forgotten the story, and please review!!  We don't own much, but we're proud of what we do.  **

**~Stef**

The next morning, Kel and Neal woke at dawn and went down to the stables to saddle up their horses for the seven day journey to Blue Harbour, where a diplomatic vessel would take them to the Yamani Islands. 

They worked in silence, Kel tending to Hoshi and Peachblossom, Neal caring for his grey mare 'Mist.' Next to them, Stefan was feeding the horses.

"Ye'll be needin' a wagon," he observed, "If ye want to bring somethin' to the Yamani Islands."

"There's one reserved for the Queenscoves," Neal said lightly, "But we'll have breakfast before we pack and hitch it up to the horses."

"So ye didn't get any packin' done last night, then?" and a wicked smile spread over his face

"Not exactly," said Neal airily as Kel put on her Yamani 'Lump' face

At breakfast, a grinning Cleon and Carra came to greet them as well as eat. To Neal's chagrin Carra was wearing only a thin green nightgown with a pink robe over it. Cleon was dressed in last night's clothes. Kel and Neal exchanged suggestive glances.

"Uh, Carra?" Neal said.  "Maybe you'd like to put on something… oh, a bit more substantial?" 

Carra just looked at him blankly, so Kel saw fit to translate the unspoken with the spoken, "He thinks you should put on something thicker, not to mention that he doesn't approve of you coming to breakfast in a nightgown." She suppressed a smile.  

"Oh, right.  Brothers!"  But she grinned at Cleon, and went back to her rooms to change.  

"I notice you're wearing the same clothes you were last night." Neal said blandly.  He liked Cleon, but Carra was his sister.  Friendship warred with protectiveness.  

"Oh for the gods' sakes!" Cleon burst out.  He shot Neal a glare, not entirely in jest, and went back to his own rooms to change.  

"Somebody needs a little more sleep," Kel commented softly.  She grinned when she saw Neal stiffen.  "Give her a break!  She's betrothed, and Cleon's a good man.  C'mon, eat your fruit, and we'll go and pack."  

"Okay," Neal said reluctantly.  

They were packed, and ready to set off on the journey to Blue Harbour, the closest port in Tortall to the Yamani Islands.  The trip would take a week, one that Kel intended to put to good use.  After the first day, Kel and Neal dismounted from their horses, and set up the tent.  One tent.  

As they were settling into bed, Kel said softly to Neal, "You know, you'll have to learn to hide some of your emotions.  Being a Tortallan, they won't expect you to be perfectly rigid, but basic emotional hiding you've got to master.  Would you like me to teach you on the journey?"

Neal sighed.

"All right. So, what do I do first?"  
          "First of all, you don't sigh." He grinned in reply, "And you don't smile. No kissing in public. Hide all emotions."

"How can I try that?"

"Don't laugh at jokes. Don't pull faces if someone tells you to do something you don't like. Obey all orders, that's very important, but don't let anyone of lower status push you around." She leaned forward and kissed him. Unsure of whether it was a test or not, Neal was uncertain as to how to respond and settled for a head nod. 

"Taking all of this to heart, aren't you?" said Kel with a short smile

"I don't want to embarrass you in front of all your stoic Yamani friends," he told her wryly, "Are there any taboo conversation topics?"

Kel smiled, "Oh yes, and you can get executed for some, even. In fact, you can get executed for not bowing to the emperor right." Neal didn't respond for a few moments and then he winced.

"Harsh."

"Yes. Maybe instead of dawn exercises I should teach you how to bow; really, there's no difference between Yamani etiquette and gruelling Tortallan army training."

"No wonder you were always the best in everything," grumbled Neal, but he was smiling.  "But Master Oakbridge taught us all the bows and stuff before Shinko came!"

"That's another thing… _never_ shorten a name in public, even with the person's permission. Private is fine, but when you're talking about a princess in front of the emperor… mistake.  And Master Oakbridge only taught you the basics.  The raw basics.  But at least you won't have to start from scratch."

"Maybe you can teach me…" he yawned, a not-so-subtle hint, "You can teach me more in the morning?"

"Yes…dear," muttered Kel, grinning, and she blew out the lamp.

The next morning, as Neal stumbled around the camp, yawning, Kel was busy drawing charts on Yamani manners. Long, long lists of what to do and what not to do could have filled a book.

"Neal, come here! I need to show you some bowing."

"All right. What do I do?"

"Stand there. Pretend I'm a…noble lady. A Duchess."

"I don't need to pretend."

"What?"

"You _are_ a Duchess. Remember? I'm Duke Sir Nealan of Queenscove, and you, as my wife, are Duchess Sir Keladry of Queenscove."

"Oh…anyway, I should teach you Yamani rank first. What do you remember?"

"Emperor is the most important, followed by empress and the royal family. Their equivalent of a duke or duchess is called an _osaibai _and _osaiba_. Next comes the _renobai _and _renoba. _Next the _yamatai _and _yamata_. Then comes the _tilobai_ and _tiloba_ and _arainai _and _araina_. Their knight is called _tenkonai_ and a knight's wife is called _tenkona. I've no idea what they'd call you… they'll have to re-write the etiquette books!  But anyway… when referring to a person, first say his hereditary or matrimonial title depending on gender, then whether the person is a __tenkonai or a __tenkona. Say their name followed by 'san' for adults and 'chan' for a girl and 'sai' for a boy."_

Kel was impressed. "Very good.  Did you memorise all of my father's book on Yamani etiquette?"   

"Actually, I went over it once I met Yuki…" he had the decency to blush.  Kel laughed.  

"Okay, okay.  So you know the theory… that will help.  It's the practical you'll need to learn.  Tell you what; we'll practice emotion-hiding for the next week, and then the bows etcetera on the boat.  Sound good?" 

"Anything sounds good coming from you, dear wife." Neal replied, grinning.  Kel swatted him, but grinned too.  Then they mounted their horses and continued on their way, Kel schooling Neal in emotion-hiding.  

The first emotion she taught him to hide was pleasure and amusement.  Kel thought they were by far the easiest to conceal.  

So she spent the day continuously paying him compliments and telling him jokes.  He did an extraordinarily good job of hiding his amusement at her jokes… but that might just have been because they weren't funny.  He didn't do badly at hiding his pleasure at the compliments, though, and Kel thought that he would do passably with another day's practice.  

By the time they arrived at Blue Harbour, he was pretty good at emotion hiding.  She asked him to check them into a hotel room for the night (the boat left the next day), while she went to check on their boat passages.  Or so she told him.  In reality, she went to ask a favour of the sailors.  They were Yamani sailors, which Kel didn't know whether that was a good thing or not.  She went up to one and said, with a properly straight face, after bowing,

"I am one of the new ambassadors from Tortall in the Yamani Islands, Duchess Sir Keladry of Queenscove, and daughter of Piers and the renowned Ilane of Mindelan."  The order of the ranks had taken a bit of thinking.

The sailor's eyes widened marginally, and he bowed deeply, as he would to a princess.  Her mother's honour, she thought disgustedly.  Everywhere in the Isles, I'm famed for my mother! 

"I would be happy to assist you, my lady… sir… Ambassador." The sailor stumbled over his words, but his face did not look at all embarrassed.  He was a true Yamani, all right.  His accent was, however, not the one in use by commoners, which meant he was probably a man of rank on the ship.  

"My husband is new to the Isles, and I do not wish for him to bring embarrassment upon himself in the Islands.  My favour was this… if you and your associates would care to try and provoke emotion from him, I would be deeply gratified."

"Yes, Keladry. We will try to assist you."

The next morning, as they walked on the boat, Kel warned Neal,

"Remember, these men are Yamani sailors, and trained to fight off pirates and enemies.  Hide _all emotion."_

"Yes," he replied stoically.

They unpacked in their cabin and went on deck, where there was more space, to practice bowing.

"I am an _osaiban_, of the same rank as you," she told him, "Pretend I'm a stranger and I'm standing in your way. You want to pass, not meet me. How do you bow?"

Neal bent at the waist and murmured an apology

"Please allow me to pass, my lady."

Kel sighed.

"No. I'm a woman, so you shouldn't speak to me unless you wish to meet me. Keep walking and as you pass me, bow at the waist while still moving and spread out your hands, like this," she demonstrated, "If it's an elderly woman, bow more deeply. The greater respect you have for someone the deeper you bow."

Neal tried again and stumbled; moving at the waist while moving his legs in tandem was _hard_.

A sailor laughed and called out something in Yamani. 

"What did he say?"

"Oh, nothing," said Kel, too cheerily. The soldier had actually made a comment about the colour of Neal's tunic, but she wanted to see if Neal could control his emotion, so she didn't tell him that.

Neal shrugged and Kel replied to the soldier that she agreed, that yes, Neal looked very nice in green. Neal did not inquire and stayed practicing.

After Neal had perfected all the bows made to a person of the same rank as him, to cover almost all situations, two soldiers passed. One said, in a loud, audible whisper,

"He looks like a duck choking on gristle."

Neal raised an eyebrow and Kel fought a sigh. That one, single eyebrow twitch would cause him to lose respect in the Islands. She made a mental note to tell him so that night.

By this time, the boat had set off, and was moving.  It was past noon, and Kel suggested they have lunch.   Neal's face was eager as he replied in the affirmative, and Kel sighed inwardly.  

"Keep your face blank!  Come, let's eat."

Neal, properly ashamed and trying to hide it, nodded his head and followed.  They ate the Yamani food, rice and fish, and then Kel conducted Neal back up to the deck where she taught him the bows to someone only marginally higher than himself in rank.  He caught on quickly; his morning practice was paying off.  In the course of the practice, a Yamani sailor complimented him on his quick learning ability, and Neal responded admirably.  

"I thank you, your compliment pleases me.  May I know your name?"

The sailor's eyes crinkled almost imperceptibly.   "I am called Tikoni, _osaiba tenkonai_ Nealan-san."  Kel bit back a laugh at Neal's poorly-hidden reaction to the elaborate title.

"I am honoured, Tikoni-san, and pleased to make your acquaintance."  The sailor bowed deeply to Neal, and, Kel suspected by pure luck, Neal bowed to the correct degree to the sailor.  The sailor turned, and (in Yamani) said to Kel,

"If you had not warned my associate, I would have been affronted by his open display of emotion.  It is amusing indeed, but perhaps he ought to learn better before he is presented to the emperor?"

Kel nodded  "I understand that he is indeed displaying rude behaviour. Had you been in my country, Tortall, you would be considered rude and aloof by _not_ showing your emotion."

Neal understood very little of their conversation, although Yuki and Kel had both tried to teach him Yamani.

When they began practising again, this time on how to bow before the emperor, Kel told him amidst her instructions that he was still showing too much emotion. 

"Back straight…" she added, rapping his spine with her fist

"Ow! Kel!" he hissed

"Sorry, Neal. This is how my teachers and mother taught me, and I've never forgotten it. Also, if you participate in training, it will be painful."

"I have a feeling that the next few weeks will be painful." Neal muttered to himself, but managed to keep his face blank.  Then he turned to Kel, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, and asked, "What will the emperor say when he sees me covered in bruises?"

Kel, her Yamani 'Lump' face on, replied evenly, "Why, he will think you a knight worthy of the Isles, sustaining bruises with no complaint."

"Point taken, Kel," Neal said.  He looked around, and finding no one in sight, grinned at her and then kissed her.  "Even if it wasn't very subtle."  

Kel rolled her eyes and grinned at him, finding, to her surprise, that she had to force the smile she felt internally.  Being back in the company of so many Yamanis had made her old reflexes come back.  

The training for the day finished with the sunset, and Kel and Neal, tired out, went back to where they had eaten.  Around the tables sat many of the sailors.  The captain beckoned for Kel and Neal to join him, and they had a pleasant meal.  The formalities were dropped at once, making it just that bit easier for Neal to go along with the customs.  

Neal was a credit to Kel's training; he didn't slip up once.  Soon, they were off to their cabins, and bed.  

The evening before they arrived at the Islands, Neal decided to contact his sister through the fire spell

"I won't be able to do it on the Islands," he explained to Kel as he built up a fire, "I can heal, not communicate."

"Then why can you do it here? The Islands aren't so far."

"We're on the sea here, my lady Kel," he said with a light smile, "And the sea acts as an amplifier for magic. I wonder what's happened since we've been gone. How long have we been?"

"Twenty-two days. And I really think you should've contacted Carra before now, you know."

Neal shrugged and mumbled the spell. The fire, green from his Gift, showed Carra sitting huddled in her room, crying.

"Carra?" he called, "Can you empower your fire? Otherwise," he added as an aside to Kel, "The spell's only one way, and I can talk to her, but she can't talk to me."

Carra's face was soon surrounded in a green sparkle, similar to Neal's gift. However, the green shade was mistier than Neal's, and black lights sparkled in it.

"Carra? What's wrong, _mi cara_?" Neal's voice sounded like his father's, and Kel recognised a term of endearment. _Mi cara_ was Old Scanran for 'dear one', and Carra had been named for the term of affection.

"N-Neal!" she sobbed, "I-I-is K-K-K-Kel there?"

Kel leapt forwards. She didn't like the sound of Carra's voice. For one thing, Carra never stuttered. 

"What is it, Carra?"

"W-well you know how m-me and C-Cleon…" her voice trailed off.  Then she took a deep breath, and visibly calmed herself.  "Neal, can I… do you mind if I talk to Kel for a bit?  I want her to tell you…" she looked at him imploringly.  

"If it's anything Cleon did…" He started in a threatening tone, but Carra shook her head.

"Not… not as such.  Please!" 

"Fine." Neal spat out.  He left, barely heeding Kel's last warning of,

"Don't show your emotion!  I know it's hard… but don't!"

Carra looked at Kel, and then took another steadying breath.  Kel sat facing the fire, as Carra began to talk.  

"I… you remember the morning you left?  I came to breakfast in my night-gown, and Cleon was wearing old clothes?  Well, we… we…"

"Yes, I can guess," Kel said hurriedly.  This was beginning to sound bad.

"Yes.  Well, my charm… it broke half-way through." Kel's face turned an interesting shade of white, but Carra was too distraught to notice.

"So you're pregnant?" 

"I found out today," Carra whispered.  She looked up helplessly.  "And… we were going to get married when you and Neal got back from the Islands, so you could be maid of honour and Neal could be best man.  And now… what can I do?"  

Kel asked, "Does Cleon know?"

"Not yet," Carra said softly.  Kel thought for a minute.  

"I think you should talk to Cleon.  And then… I'll tell Neal.  Once you've talked to Cleon, call in on us in the fire again."

"I'll do that," Carra said.  She smiled weakly, "thanks, Kel."

Kel forced a smile for Carra.  "That's okay."  

They cut off the connection.  The Kel went to find Neal.  It might be best if she told him in the cabin… his Yamani mask had come along greatly… but this wasn't a thing you could hide after only three weeks of training.  

"Neal?" she came up on deck, "Carra wants to talk to you." It was a lie, but it sounded better than 'I want to tell you something Carra told me to tell you'. The Yamanis weren't forgiving over what they termed 'indiscretions'. 

"She's not here!" he said as they came into the cabin

"No… Neal, she wanted me to tell you. You know the morning when Carra and Cleon came down, and Carra was wearing her nightgown and Cleon…"

"I can figure out what happened. What did he do? Hurt her? Was he with another woman?"

"No…Neal, her charm…"

"She's pregnant, isn't she?" Neal sat, then stood again. His fists were curled, digging into his stomach and his face was pale. His mouth tightened. 

"What did he say? When did she find out? Did her charm break or just not work or-"

"It fell off halfway through." Neal shuddered

"She's my little sister!" he cried out, "She can't just- Kel! She's my baby sister! She _can't_ be pregnant," he threw himself dramatically on the bed

The fire crackled to life.

"Neal? C-" But Neal was by the fire already, and soon he was bellowing to Cleon, who was standing next to Carra. Kel was half-amused, half worried. Still, her amusement grew, especially when she heard Neal use the phrase 'Make an honest woman out of her!', a phrase she thought only her father and Lord Wyldon used.

"Neal!" cried Carra finally, as he began to launch into his third tirade, "Shut up! Cleon and I are getting married in a week. I'm sorry you'll miss it," she said more gently

"Carra…"

"I know, Neal. You said it all to Cleon. I realise I'm just your little sister."

Cleon looked at Carra, compassion and love in his eyes.  "Carra, may I talk to Neal a minute?  It might bring things into… perspective."

"Please do," Carra said with feeling.

"I guess I'm banished too, hey?" Kel asked, making her tone light, so as to lighten the atmosphere.  

"If you don't mind, Kel."

"Not at all.  See you later, Cleon, Carra, Neal."  They said goodbye, and then both Carra and Kel left their respective rooms.  Kel took a book with her and went to sit on the deck.  She needed something to distract her.  

Neal didn't call her in until half an hour later.  When she came in, the fire was normal, not glowing green, and she couldn't see either Cleon or Carra in it.  Neal, however, was looking visibly relaxed, almost cheerful. 

"If anyone had to marry Carra, I'm glad it's Cleon!" he told her.  That wasn't what he had been saying only an hour before, but Kel decided to use her tact for once, and not say anything.  Neal went on, undiscouraged by her silence.

"We talked, and brought it all out in the open.  Cleon is honourable, maybe more than I ever thought.  He knows, he understands, and he took full responsibility.  From the things Cleon didn't say, and how well I know my sister, I think she… well, I think she persuaded him to… you know." Neal began to blush, and immediately stopped talking.  Kel could almost see him thinking of cool lakes and stone.  His blush dissipated, and he continued to talk evenly.  "But he took responsibility, and blamed himself so much that I found myself calming him and telling him that it couldn't have been all his fault.  Anyway, a long story short, we're better friends then we ever were, and I'm glad Carra's got Cleon.  Besides, she always wanted children!"


End file.
